


Swimming Lessons

by Nirindel



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beaches, Dorks in Love, Family, Fluff, M/M, lake, swimming lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 14:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7896142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nirindel/pseuds/Nirindel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My entry for the <a href="http://aquilea-of-the-lonely-mountain.tumblr.com/post/148242263528/bagginshield-summer-of-fluff-fiction-challenge">Bagginshield Summer of Fluff Fiction Challenge</a></p><p>My key word was <i>swimming lessons</i>.</p><p>So I give you Thorin, who decides to teach Bilbo how to swim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Swimming Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> My usual reminder: I'm not English!  
> This is beta tested by lovely [dee-licium](https://hobbitystmarymorstan.tumblr.com/)

“I refuse.”

“Oh, come on Bilbo, it will be fun.”

“No.”

Bilbo hid behind his book, clutching it like a shield, determined to stay where he was and that meant on the safety of his dry blanket. He never would have agreed to go on this trip, if he’d knew what awaited him. He was too soft for his own good.

Pretending to read, he drew his knees to his chest and tried to ignore Thorin, who slowly approached him, his feet making crunching noises in the sand. They were currently  on a small beach by a beautiful lake, in the middle of nowhere. The whole place was surrounded by a forest, giving the place an idyllic feeling, with the sun shining and the gentle breeze cooling the air. The peace and quiet was a nice change after living in a busy city.

Bilbo would probably appreciate the surroundings more if it weren’t for the distractions. Big, muscled, hairy distractions.

“I promise I won’t let you drown,” chuckled Thorin as he crouched in front of Bilbo’s blanket.

“For some strange reason I don’t trust you,” Bilbo pushed his nose deeper into the book, hoping that the cover would hide his enormous blush.

Why on earth had he agreed to this?

Oh yes, Frodo could make quite impressive puppy eyes when he put his heart into it.

This was really not fair. They were supposed to spend the long summer weekend at home, enjoying the calm as most of the neighbours had gone away for holidays. Bilbo had been really looking forward to this; he hadn’t had time off from work often, running a busy bakery. But then Frodo had come running to him one evening after playing outside, eyes wide with excitement, announcing that Fili and Kili had invited them to spend the weekend at their summer house.

The boys were living next door and were Frodo’s good friends, all of them close in age and going to the same grade school. It had sounded like a good idea for the boys to have fun together during the weekend, but there was a little problem that made Bilbo hesitate. Well, maybe not little, but rather tall. The trip would mean spending three days alone (well, mostly) with the brothers’ ridiculously handsome uncle, Thorin, on whom Bilbo had a hopeless crush.

Unfortunately, Frodo’s big, pleading eyes and the fact that Bilbo adored him beyond everything, had made him agree easily. The boy had had a difficult year, with his parents’ death, changing schools and moving in with his uncle. Bilbo would have done anything to make him smile and be happy again. So, Bilbo, desperately trying to ignore the big, red _danger_ sign in his mind, had assured his nephew that he didn’t mind going.

“Frodo will be happy if you join us,” Thorin’s gentle voice made Bilbo emerge from his book and his thoughts. He regretted it instantly. His neighbour was definitely crouching too close, his bare, lovely chest on full display since he was wearing only a pair of swimming shorts. Bilbo was proud that he didn’t jump the man then and there.

“I can’t swim,” mumbled Bilbo, trying very hard not to stare.

Really, there should be a limit on how handsome one person can be. Thorin was much taller than Bilbo and much more muscular. His lovely black hair usually reached below his broad shoulders but was now tied at the back of his head in a messy ponytail. Although, what Bilbo liked the most were the man’s piercing, blue eyes. He could stare at them for hours, but unfortunately that wasn’t quite appropriate.

“You told us that. Besides, you don’t need to know how to swim to play volleyball,” said Thorin and snatched Bilbo’s book from his hand with one swift move.

“Give that back! You’ll drench it!” sputtered Bilbo as he tried, and failed, to get it back. Despite his worry for the book’s safety, Bilbo couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips. He hadn’t known his neighbour could be this playful and relaxed.

When Thorin and the boys, whose parents worked oversees, first moved to the flat next door, Bilbo hadn’t had many reasons to talk to them, besides a few pleasantries exchanged on the staircase. Everything changed when Frodo moved in shortly after that. His nephew was desperate for friends, so Bilbo took matters in his own hands and, after baking a big tray of chocolate muffins, went to finally greet the new neighbours.

The boys had become friends instantly, Fili and Kili taking the younger Frodo under their wings. It had been really nice to see all of them running around on the playground, a big smile on his nephew’s face. That was when he and Thorin had finally started to have proper conversations. The man had been a bit closed off, but still easy to talk to and Bilbo really enjoyed the time they spent together with the boys (that was probably also when the stupid crush problem had started).

So watching Thorin now, a big grin on his face as he held the book away from his grasp, was a very pleasant change. It certainly made him look even more handsome.

“Oh alright, I’ll play,” sighed Bilbo, trying to look angry, “but I want the book back.”

“Of course,” said Thorin with a grin as he stood up and offered his hand to the shorter man.

When their hands touched, Bilbo couldn’t help the feeling giddy. There was something different in his neighbour’s behaviour besides the openness, but he couldn’t quite describe it. There was a strange spark in his eyes, that Bilbo hadn’t seen before.

“I can always teach you how to swim,” Thorin offered suddenly. He had a much too innocent expression for Bilbo’s liking. Kili had the same one when he was up to no good. Now he knew where the boy had gotten it.

“If it weren’t for the boys, I would tell you what I think about that idea,” Bilbo smacked Thorin’s arm playfully and snatched the book back, dropping it on the blanket; at least it was dry.

“I’m sure you would enjoy it when you got the hang of it.”

“Forget it.”

“We’ll see later,” Thorin just grinned at Bilbo’s glare. He should have never admitted to that little fact about himself. It came out when they arrived to the summer house and the boys made a beeline to the lake. He just said that he didn’t particularly enjoy water that is not in a bathtub and is deeper than to his ankles. Thorin just laughed at that, but didn’t say much. Bilbo really hoped that the tall man was just joking. He didn’t want to come back from his holiday traumatised.

“Uncle Bilbo!” He was torn from his thoughts by Frodo, who appeared by his side with a yellow ball in his arms. “Will you play with us?”

“Of course, lad,” Bilbo chuckled as he ruffled his nephew’s dark curls, currently wet and full of sand. He hadn’t seen the boy this happy in a long time. “I think I prefer that to swimming lessons.”

Thorin just laughed at that and sent Bilbo a knowing smile.

With an angry huff, Bilbo quickly took off his T-shirt, leaving him only in his swimming shorts. He crossed his arms over his chest and marched towards the lake not even glancing at Thorin. He knew he looked nothing like the man, with his pudgy middle and hairless chest. It made him feel very self-conscious. At least his arms looked nice; that was the benefit of working in a bakery where he kneaded dough practically every day.

The next hour passed with them playing, or at least trying to play, volleyball. The boys hit the ball in a rather uncoordinated way, sending it flying in different directions, mainly into deeper water. They attempted to look innocent while their uncles tried to retrieved it. They were having too much fun with this, in Bilbo’s opinion. During one of the ball chases he managed to perform a rather embarrassing dive into the water that left him looking like a soaked chicken, with his hair sticking to his head in wet, dripping strands. A very good impression...

The game left the men tired and wet while the boys still bounced with unlimited energy, big grins on their faces. Luckily, they were distracted when Fili found an old toy boat in the bushes.

“I think I’m getting too old for this,” groaned Bilbo as he pushed wet hair from his eyes. The boys made it to the beach completely engrossed in their new treasure, leaving their uncles alone in the water, finally able to catch their breath.

“You certainly whine like an old man,” Thorin tried to keep a straight face, but the shorter man’s glare made him laugh loudly.

Bilbo splashed him with water, but he couldn’t stop his own grin. Thorin looked even more handsome with a big smile, not to mention the wet hair sticking to his back and shoulders. Bilbo had to fight the temptation to reach for it.

“Continue that and you can forget about my chocolate muffins,” threatened Bilbo, sending another splash of water at him.

“Now that is a very serious threat,” chuckled Thorin as he tried to avoid the water.

They were acting like kids, splashing each other like this, but Bilbo decided he didn’t care. They were alone here, he was having a great time with his handsome neighbour and Frodo was happy with his friends. What else could he ask for (well there were a few things, but they weren’t exactly proper)?

“So about those swimming lessons,” Thorin said suddenly, and a wicked smile appeared on his lips.

“Don’t you even think about it,” glared Bilbo, cursing his luck. Bilbo decided then, that it would be much safer on the shore, as he tried to manoeuvre around his neighbour.

“Just one try,” said Thorin and, before Bilbo could protest, guided him into deeper water. At that point, Bilbo had some problems concentrating as Thorin’s big hand rested on his back, sending a pleasant jolt up his spine. He was sure that he was blushing fiercely.

“Now, try to lie on the water and move your legs to stay above the surface,” Thorin instructed, taking his hand from Bilbo’s back. He had to bite his tongue not to protest at the loss.

“I’ll go to the bottom like a rock,” he protested weakly, still fighting with the blush.

“I’ll hold you, so don’t worry.”

Knowing that there was no way out of this, Bilbo really did try to do as instructed. He had managed to lie on the water, with Thorin holding his hands, but he started to kick his legs so frantically that it only resulted in water splashing everywhere. Thorin was patient as he slowly dragged him through the water, encouraging him to move more calmly and smoothly. Bilbo would find this lovely on any other occasion; he could touch Thorin on the pretext of swimming. But deep water wasn’t something he enjoyed, so he only managed to think about not drowning and how they got further from the beach the boys were playing on.

During one particularly clumsy kick, Bilbo ended up with his head going accidently underwater. He panicked as he tried to grab onto something and instantly strong arms hauled him above the surface. He sputtered water, planning a painful and slow death for Thorin before he finally registered the position he was in. Thorin was holding him by the waist, so that he wasn’t touching the bottom. That would have concerned him, if it weren’t for the fact that they were eye-to-eye level now, their noses nearly brushing. Also, he was clinging to the man’s shoulders, like his life depended on it.

Bilbo stared at those amazing blue eyes, trying to force his mind to work again. This was definitely not a proper position, but he just couldn’t make his body to move and the blush spreading on Thorin’s cheeks wasn’t helping.

“You know, if you’ll keep on using your nails like this, I’ll have a hard time explaining these swimming lessons,” Thorin said suddenly, his gaze never leaving Bilbo’s. “Not that I mind,” he added with a little smile.

Bilbo stared at him for a few seconds, mouth hanging loose, and finally he burst with uncontrollable giggles, his mind finally catching up with the whole absurd situation. Really, to say such a thing. Thorin soon joined him and they were laughing like two teenagers, in the middle of the lake. He relaxed his grip and encircled Thorin’s shoulders in a more comfortable way.

“You are a terrible flirt,” Bilbo gasped, still grinning. He tried to move away, but Thorin’s arms held him in place.

“I’ve been told that a few times before,” Thorin murmured, as he leaned a bit closer and this time Bilbo gasped for a completely different reason. However, he tried to maintain a calm expression, despite the blush that probably covered his whole face.

“I think I can work with that.”

“Says the person who isn’t so subtle, when it comes to staring.”

“Can’t blame me. I appreciate nice views,” Bilbo was very proud of himself, that he hadn’t died from embarrassment. It seemed his discreet looking (well, more like ogling) hadn’t been as discreet as he thought.

“I appreciate them too, I’m just better at hiding,” Thorin’s smile was so full of  affection that when he realized what Thorin meant, his insides did a little conga. Banishing any thoughts about propriety, Bilbo closed the small gap between them and pressed his lips to Thorin’s in a quick, chaste kiss, that made his toes curl. When he pulled away, he could feel the other man chasing his lips, but, as lovely as it was, there were a few things they were forgetting.

“The boys,” Bilbo murmured, putting a finger to Thorin’s lips. “And I would love to feel some solid ground beneath my feet. I think I’ve reached my tolerance limit.”

Thorin just grinned as he kissed Bilbo’s finger and finally guided them both towards the shore. They managed to untangle themselves halfway there, but refused to break contact completely, continuing to hold hands. This day was turning out quite unexpected, not that Bilbo minded. He wasn’t sure what would come out of this in the long term, but, judging by Thorin’s fond look, it could only be something good. Very good in fact.

“You planned those _swimming lessons_ from the start, didn’t you?” suddenly asked Bilbo with raised eyebrows, remembering that strange spark in Thorin’s eyes earlier. It occurred to him that the man might have arranged it all so they could be alone together.

“Busted,” was Thorin’s reply as he tried to look straight faced, though the lovely blush told a different tale.

“It did work in the end, so I won’t complain,” Bilbo couldn’t help the warm smile. When they finally reached the boys, still playing with their boat, completely obvious to their uncles’ approach.

It seemed that this trip wouldn’t be as bad as he feared at the beginning and, as much as he hated swimming, he would later recall those lessons with fondness (and a blush).

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me on [Tumblr](http://nirindel.tumblr.com/)


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